HC Deb 27 January 1997 vol 289 cc115-6W
Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the Bellagio report of April 1996 on human insulin unawareness; [12679]

(2) how many United Kingdom insulin-dependent diabetics currently use animal insulins; and how many were doing so in 1990; [12673]

(3) what is the policy of his Department with regard to making known to newly diagnosed diabetics the choice between human and animal insulin; [12677]

(4) what steps his Department is taking to assure insulin users that animal insulin will continue to be available; [12676]

(5) if he will encourage manufacturers to make animal insulin available for insulin pens. [12678]

Mr. Horam

Manufacturers have confirmed that animal insulin will continue to be available in the United Kingdom until at least the year 2000. It is for them to decide whether or not to make animal insulin available for insulin pens. Clinical decisions on the most suitable type of treatment for a patient must be made by the individual's clinician. The Department of Health does not collect information on the number of insulin-dependent diabetics who use animal insulin. The Department of Health and the Medicines Control Agency are aware of the Bellagio report of April 1996, and will continue to monitor closely the safety of all insulins.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records are kept of the number of complaints made by insulin users who have been adversely affected by human insulin. [12674]

Mr. Malone

Complaints by users of medicines are received by many different routes, for example by general practitioners, hospital clinicians, health authorities and the Department of Health. Records of the number of complaints made by users of a particular medicine are not collated centrally. Complaints about medicines are handled on an individual basis and, when it is suspected by the patient's doctor that an adverse reaction to a medicine has occurred, the doctor is requested to report it through the yellow card scheme to the Medicines Control Agency.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has evaluated into the responses of patients who have used human insulin. [12672]

Mr. Malone

As for all medicines, the quality, safety and efficacy of human insulins have been subjected to detailed scrutiny by the Medicines Control Agency and Committee on Safety of Medicines at the time of licensing. Subsequently, as part of the normal monitoring of marketed medicines, all post-marketing information and published research has been evaluated as it has become available.